If you've ever tried photographing birds, especially birds in flight, you know that it can be a difficult process.
Add to that a big, heavy lens, and you have a recipe for a frustrating outing!
But these aren't obstacles that cannot be overcome, and overcome easily, actually...
In the video above, Tim Boyer offers up some bird photography tips that center around how to use a large lens.
In the tutorial, he explores techniques that any photographer can use to get sharp photos with a telephoto lens.
Have a look at the video, and for a summary of Tim's points, read on below.
Have a Sturdy Tripod and Head
When considering how to photograph birds and do so with sharp results, you have to begin with the support you give your camera.
Though it's possible to get sharp photos when handholding a camera with a telephoto lens, it's certainly more difficult than if you have the camera mounted on a tripod.
Not only do you need a strong, sturdy tripod with a load capacity that can accommodate the weight of your camera and big lens, but you also need a good tripod head.
As Tim points out in the video, he uses a Wimberley head with a gimbal for smooth, fluid motion.
Just having a good tripod and head isn't enough, though. You need to dial them in for proper use.
That means leveling your tripod to ensure you don't have wonky horizons in your photos.
That also means leveling your lens on the gimbal head, that way the weight of the lens is evenly distributed.
If you don't do this, the lens could either slam forward or backward (as shown above), and cause damage to its delicate components.
Editor's Tip: When fine-tuning the head, loosen the vertical and horizontal knobs as well as the lens collar so you have freedom of movement to track birds as they fly.
Photographing Birds Requires Multiple Points of Contact With Your Gear
As sturdy as your tripod and tripod head might be, they can still stand to have a little more help in giving your camera and big lens some support.
You can do that by having multiple points of contact with your gear.
As you can see in the screenshot above, Tim places his left hand on top of the lens and gently presses down. Then, he presses his forehead against the back of the camera to add some support from behind.
This is in addition to having a good, solid grip on the camera with his right hand.
All told, that means the camera is supported from the top and bottom, the side and from behind as well. All of this is done to help dampen the vibration caused by the camera's mirror flipping up and down.
The more you can dampen that vibration, the sharper the image will be.
Learn More:
Go Easy on the Shutter Button
You know how sometimes you get so excited to see a bird (or any other subject, for that matter), and in your excitement you press the shutter button really hard?
Well, that action can cause vibration in the camera as well, and as noted above, vibration is no friend of photographers that want the sharpest images.
So, bird photography requires that you take it easy on the shutter button and gently press it as opposed to stabbing it with your finger.
In fact, as Tim points out, it's even better to think about rolling your fingertip over the shutter button, that way you take the easiest, gentlest approach to triggering your camera's shutter.
Editor's Tip: For more bird photography tips, have a look at Tim's YouTube Channel or his website.